Bombardier touts Waterloo LRT order

Bombardier Transportation formally noted it has signed an agreement with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Ontario) to supply 14 FLEXITY Freedom light rail vehicles, to serve the planned LRT system, initially serving the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ont.

The contract is valued at approximately C$66 million (US$63 million). Delivery will occur in the second half of 2016, with final assembly taking place at Bombardier's Thunder Bay, Ont., production facility.

Last month the Waterloo Regional Council formally approved the purchase plan in coordination with Greater Toronto Area's Metrolinx to purchase 14 LRVs, with an option for 14 additional cars.

"The purchase of light rail vehicles is a significant milestone for our project," said Jim Wideman, regional councillor and chair of the Region of Waterloo's Planning and Works Committee. "The vehicles symbolize the considerable progress being made to bring this new service to residents in Waterloo Region."

"Bombardier commends the Region of Waterloo for this important expansion of public transit in Ontario by offering rail transportation as a solution for increasing mobility, reducing congestion, and benefiting their economy." said Bombardier Transportation President North America Raymond Bachant. "We greatly appreciate the confidence the Region of Waterloo has placed in us in choosing Bombardier's proven state of the art light rail technology."

The order follows two others involving Bombardier and Toronto, for the moment still the sole operator of LRT in Ontario. Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has 204 Flexity Freedom cars on order, mostly for its existing city streetcar network, while Metrolinx expects 182 similar vehicles to be used for LRT expansion in the Toronto metropolitan area.